Britain Edges Closer To Launching IS Airstrikes

Britain could be days from military involvement in the Middle East after David Cameron warned the fight against Islamic State was one the UK "could not opt out of".

Speaking ahead of a United Nations summit in New York, the Prime Minister insisted the group was planning attacks on Britain and an international coalition was needed to destroy "this evil organisation."

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Abadi is expected to formally ask for Britain's involvement in airstrikes against IS positions in the north of the country when he meets with Mr Cameron tomorrow.

The PM warned of terrorist plots in Britain and the US

Such a request would legally underpin any UK military action in Iraq, something that is less clear in the case of Syria where Britain has stressed it will not co-operate with President Bashar al Assad to defeat IS.

Any offer to Iraq of military help could lead to parliament being recalled on Friday to seek MPs' approval, with Mr Cameron hoping of avoiding the defeat he suffered last year over plans to target the Assad regime.

Iraq has not yet formally asked Britain to join the US and France in air strikes on IS which has made rapid territorial gains in northern Iraq, though the UK responded swiftly to Baghdad's plea for arms and ammunition earlier this month.

Iraq's PM Haider al Abadi is likely to ask for Britain's help to defeat IS

Speaking to US TV channel NBC, Mr Cameron said: "There are other plots they (IS) have been attempting, including in my own country, in order to kill and maim innocent people and the same applies to the United States.

"So this is a fight you cannot opt out of. These people want to kill us. They've got us in their sights and we have to put together this coalition… to make sure that we ultimately destroy this evil organisation."

Mr Cameron will also attempt to secure regional involvement in the fight against IS during talks with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. It will be the first time a British prime minister has met an Iranian president since 1979.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani will also hold talks with Mr Cameron

But Mr Cameron has made clear he will not soften his stance on Iran's nuclear ambitions, nor its support for other militant groups the West regards as terrorist organisations.

"I will be very clear," Mr Cameron told NBC News. "We think they are wrong to have this nuclear weapon programme. We think they are wrong to support terrorist organisations.

"It'll be a tough conversation. I'm not saying that my enemy's enemy is my friend. I don't believe that.

"But the fact is if we want to have a successful, democratic, pluralistic Iraq and if we want to have a successful, democratic, pluralistic Syria, Iran can play a constructive role in helping to bring that about."

UK hostage Alan Henning is being held by the group, possibly in Raqqa

The first US raids on IS targets in Syria were launched yesterday, supported by Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the areas hit was the IS stronghold of Raqqa where it is thought British aid worker Alan Henning is being held hostage by the group.

Mr Henning's wife Barbara urged for his release after she received an audio message from her husband pleading for his life.

Barbara Henning said she had been told a Sharia court had found her husband innocent of being a spy.

"I implore Islamic State to abide by the decisions of their own justice system. "Please release Alan," she said in a statement released through the Foreign Office.

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